Lee High School - Huntsville Alabama Alumni

This Week in 1964

From

"A Million Tomorrows...

Memories of the Class of '64"

(Editor's Note: This is an extract from my first book. The italic text is my journal entry back in 1964 and the observations were made in 1989 when I wrote the book.)

Tuesday, February 25, 1964

56th Day 310 days to follow

Rain

School was normal today. After we stopped at Mullin's on the way, I came home. Took a nap and slept till 5:30 P.M. Got up and put my Explorer uniform on and went to the church. The Men's Club had a spaghetti supper and the Post put on a citizenship ceremony. I was in charge of the whole nights program.

Came home and listened to the Liston v. Clay flight on the radio. Clay won by a T.K.O. in the fifth round. Watched T.V. and wrote a theme for English. I wrote a story in couplets like Chaucer did.

Watched ? on T.V. Guess I shall go to bed now. I need some sleep. I'm only human you know.

*****

There's no doubt about which historical item of this day's journal entries was the most important. The world would care little about the spaghetti dinner at the church that night. I didn't even record what type of sauce I had on it. Neither would they care about the Chaucer-style couplets that I penned in the late night hours by the glow of the TV set.

The one item recorded by me on that day which was of lasting note to civilization was listening to the Sonny Liston and Cassius Clay heavyweight championship fight on the radio. I was never too impressed by boxing, for my own reasons. Still this was a very important fight. Liston was being challenged by the Olympic gold medalist for the title of Heavyweight Champion of the World. I can't remember who was favored to win the fight, but the importance of the fight was significant enough to draw me to the radio.

I retired from boxing at the ripe age of ten, primarily due to a severe beating by a larger opponent who took great delight in knocking my head back and forth. If I had been strong enough to lift the oversized gloves, it might have been a different story. Instead, memories reflect me trying to get the gloves in front of my face only to be hit repeatedly while doing so. There was also the total frustration of not being able to back away from the blows, and the continual pursuit of the gladiator in the other set of gloves. We were in a neighbor's yard and not a ring and I was backed 20 or 30 yards by the continual hits of my opponent.

That was no backyard boxing match which was being broadcast on the radio that night. The true importance of the fight was not really known at the time, but it turned out to be one of the most important heavyweight fights ever fought. Liston was champion. Clay was the challenger who many thought had a real chance of winning. I sat glued to the radio, listening to the blow by blow description while millions of others did likewise. Today's generation would have difficulty understanding how we could sit and listen to a boxing match on the radio. They are a visual generation. There were no closed circuit or cable subscriptions to broadcast the visual images of the fight. At least, if there were any, they were not offered in Huntsville, Alabama. If we ever got to see it at all, it would be weeks later in the "News of the World" news at the picture show. That night the fight was all audio. Little did I know when I turned off the radio after Clay had knocked out Liston in the fifth round, that I had just listened to the start of one of the greatest dynasties in heavyweight boxing history.

One could not even have imagined what a lasting role Cassius Clay would have in boxing. He would change the whole world of boxing and his name in the process. He gave a spark to the sport that set off a forest fire of fans. In doing so, the man himself became one of the most controversial sports figures of the decade. For the next decade and a half really. He took the prize money for championship fights into the millions. He changed his name to Muhammad Ali, and his mouth grew with his fame.

The big mouth of "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" fame became almost as famous as the fists. Titles would come and go from that night until 1979 when he officially retired.

It all started that night. It all started on my Philco radio. I was there for the beginning, listening to "it's a right to the head, a left to the body" commentary of the announcer. I was one of the spectators to the coming revolution in heavyweight boxing, and I recorded it in my journal for all to share. I thought that some day the event might be of interest to someone.

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Subject:Lee High School 1960

Linda Pell Berry

Lee Jr. High Class of '61

Hi Tommy I was just reading an article that you printed for the LHS "Traveller". You told of the play we did in Mrs Parks' English Literature class and of playing opposite of me. I just want to say "Thank You" for the sweet compliment it made this 63 yr old woman happy to see that statement and recall that year.

Editor's Note: For a review of that statement click here.

It's in the next to the last paragraph of "Looking Back at 1960"

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Subject:"A Million Tomorrows"

Aaron Potts

Hey Tommy,

I don't recall ever seeing the book for sale either ordering it from you or to purchase it from a book store. I'd be interested in purchasing one if you still have one for sale. Just send me the amount I woud owe you and I'll send you a money order or a check, whichever you prefer.

Editor's Note: I still have copies of the book and sell them for $10 each with $5.00 postage via Priority Mail. ($15 total) If you are interested, you can order one and send the check to my home address:

Tommy Towery

5709 Pecan Trace

Memphis, TN 38135

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